1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus, method, and computer program for providing a plurality of images stored in a storage to another wireless communication apparatus through wireless communications.
2. Description of the Related Art
Specifications for a wireless communication scheme called Bluetooth (trade mark) and standardized by the Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) relate to wireless devices, communication protocols, and application models. The specifications for application models are called profiles. For example, profiles for file transfer, exchange of electronic business card information, and exchange of photographic electronic images are called a file transfer profile, an object push profile, and a basic imaging profile. Each of these profiles includes specifications for data exchange. These profiles are characterized by utilizing IrOBEX (or simply OBEX). The OBEX protocol is a communication protocol that specifies a method of exchanging electronic information as objects. The OBEX protocol has a connection setting function, a connection clearing function, an object transmission function, an object reception function, and the like. Presently, OBEX specifies the following commands.
COMMANDSMEANINGConnectchoose your partner, negotiatecapabilitiesDisconnectsignal the end of the sessionPutsend an objectGetget an objectSetPathmodifies the current path on thereceiving sideAbortabort the current operation
The term “connection” has the same meaning as the above “session”. In the description below, the term “connection” will be used instead of the expression “session”. The OBEX is described in detail in “Infrared Data Association, IrDA Object Exchange Protocol (IrOBEX) with Published Errata, Version 1.2, April 1999” and is incorporated herein by reference.
The basic imaging profile (hereinafter referred to as “BIP”) conforms to the OBEX protocol, described above. Version 1.0 of the BIP defines six use scenarios. These six use scenarios are called features and include image push, image pull, remote display, remote camera, advanced image print, and automatic archive. Each of these features specifies a procedure for exchanging still images between devices and a procedure for transmitting and receiving data utilizing the OBEX protocol.
A detailed description of each feature is described in BIP specifications laid open by the Bluetooth SIG. According to the BIP specification, devices are classified into initiators and responders in accordance with their rolls. For example, with the image push feature, the initiator is defined to make request for the start of an image transmission and the like. The responder is defined to receive images transmitted by the initiator. With the remote camera feature, the initiator is defined to make request for acquisition of images. The responder is defined to provide images. The initiator and the responder are also described in the BIP specifications in detail.
The remote camera feature, one of the BIP features, specifies four functions including GetMonitoringImage, GetImageProperties, GetImage, and GetLinkedThumbnail. These functions allow the initiator to acquire information on images from the responder under the OBEX protocol. The BIP specifications describe the configurations of an OBEX request and response packets for each function, an exchange procedure, and the like in detail. The responder for the remote camera feature is assumed to be a device such as a digital camera which has a function of capturing images.
The BIP specifies the six features as described above. However, devices in accordance with the BIP do not support all of these six features. Different devices may have different support forms. For example, a certain device in accordance with the BIP supports only the image push and pull features but not the other features. Another devices in accordance with the BIP supports only the image push and remote display features.
To enable certain device to browse and acquire images saved in another device, it is essential that both of these devices, acting as an initiator and a responder, respectively, support the BIP image pull feature. For example, even if a plurality of images are saved in responder comprising the remote camera feature, initiator that does not comprise the image pull feature but only the remote camera feature cannot browse or acquire these images.
It is contemplated that if a device comprising only the remote camera feature comprises an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) function, it may use the FTP function to acquire images. However, the FTP treats images simply as files without distinguishing them from other kinds of information. In view of users' operability, it is preferable to treat images as images. For example, an image providing mechanism is preferably implemented with which an operator of certain device can cause images saved in another device to be displayed on a screen of the operator's device and select one of the images to be acquired. Even if a remote camera feature operation screen is improved and made more sophisticated so as to display images, it is not available if the FTP is used to acquire files.